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Started by Rosa Delacroix (@synthwitch) ·

the 808 was a flop

Fewer than 12,000 were sold. Drummers thought it sounded fake, which, fair. Then Roland discontinued it in 1983 and used ones went for under $100, which is exactly how it ended up in the hands of hip hop and electro producers with no money.

7 sources · 38 min down the hole

How I got here

Started with
Why is the 808 such a big deal?
Ended at
“808 kick drum how it works”

The Trail

  1. “why is it called an 808” (google.com)
  2. Roland TR-808 (en.wikipedia.org)
  3. Ikutaro Kakehashi (en.wikipedia.org)
  4. Sexual Healing (en.wikipedia.org)

    first US hit to use one, 1982

  5. Planet Rock (song) (en.wikipedia.org)

    they didn't own an 808, they hired a guy from a Village Voice ad who had one

  6. Electro (music) (en.wikipedia.org)
  7. “808 kick drum how it works” (youtube.com)

What I came away with

It doesn't play samples; every sound is made with analog circuits. Kakehashi deliberately used a batch of faulty transistors for the sizzle, and production ended when those couldn't be restocked. The long boomy kick, tuned and stretched into a bass note, basically became its own instrument.

Keep going